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Sep 14, 2013

NOW YOU SEE ME, NOW YOU DON’T

I have been in the blogging world since around February 2009. My introduction to this crazy, but fabulous world came through a recipe that I found on the Pioneer Woman’s blog.

I was making food for our yearly December Boxing Day party and was deep into the internet recipes when one site kept coming up over and over.

I noticed how these recipes had comments on them, in her case hundreds of them. Then I saw there were links in some of the comments. I clicked on them and they brought me to the blogs of those who had left a comment for Ree Drummond.

I was hooked. One blog led me to another and within a couple of weeks I knew had to figure out how to do this for myself.

Nobody I knew ever spoke of blogs. I decided to get a book on the subject and bought the Blogging For Dummies book. I don’t think I am dumb but these books are great at step by step instructions and great diagrams. Turned out that one of the authors of this particular one is co-written by a local Vancouver man, Shane Birley. Good thing for me because I needed his help at one point. So you come up with a name for your blog. You decorate your new space. You start over and change everything, twice. You add gadgets and widgets and decorations and photos. You learn some basic html code and it blows your mind. Templates come and go like a train in the station. We are creative and we need to change things.

You pat yourself on the back because you now know what a gadget, a widget and html are. You can now throw out these words at parties to the amazement of those who have not yet entered the blog world. They have no idea what you do. Your audience gathers around you as you tell them about the widget you added to your blog that you had to edit the html code to match the colors of your template. They think you are Bill Gates, not for the money part but for the techno brilliance you now exude. Actually their eyes glaze over and they excuse themselves to use the washroom.

Then you have to write. You have to actually post on this blog of yours. You have to find your niche.

Are you a Mom Blogger, a Food Blogger, a Travel Blogger, a Technology Blogger. Are you like me? An amalgamation of all of the above. I will call us Renaissance Bloggers (a person who has wide interests and is expert in several areas). We blog about all kinds of things that interest us and that we do.

Then it happens. Someone comments on your blog post. You are giddy with excitement. Oh. Wait. It is just spam but you remain hopeful and you finally build up a following for your blog. You get comments and you reply to them. Etiquette requires that you visit that person’s blog as well to reciprocate. When I started blogging I was at home full time . I had the time to go and see many interesting places, shops, gardens and the like. I had lots of time to cook and to photograph the process for the blog. My garden beds were beautiful. I had time to paint and to do give-a-ways on my blog. I could decorate my home and join in memes. (note: add the word meme to my new blogging words. I had never heard of one before) I tablescaped on Thursdays and I posted food on Foody Fridays. I could post my metamorphosis on Metamorphosis Mondays with the rest of the uber creative bloggers.

Then it happened. I went back into the work force…full time. For 40 hours a week. There is little time nor energy left for the interesting things I used to have time to do.

There is little time left for visiting the bloggers who I have come to know well over the past 4 years. It is for this I feel the most disappointment. You guys know who you are. I used to visit you at least every other day. We laughed and chatted and left witty comments on each others blogs. We appreciated the hard work that went into each post. We shared our heartbreaks and losses as well as our triumphs and delights.

I am not going to quit blogging but I just wanted to explain why I post so little now and why I don’t get around to your blogs for visits. I am not burnt out I am just kinda boring now LOL.

10 comments:

Ah Lori, you are never ever boring..and I totally understand the time crunch. Bloggers understand too, post when you can, visit when you have the energy, and the time. You are always welcome, and the knowledge base that you have is amazing, thanks for all of the help over the years.

Muddy Boot Dreams has moved, if you could update any links for me that would be great.

Lori, you were one of my great examples when I started blogging and I loved the fun everyone had on your blog. I understand the crunch, so much has happened, I have even moved the Hero stories to rarely done now. I am so glad to find you and your fun humor on FB now. Keep on going!Fran Ellsworth

I held my breath as I read your blog post because from your title, I thought you were no longer going to blog. Whew. I'm so glad that you are still going to do that...however frequently or infrequently it might be. I can't imagine "losing" a blogging friend. Like you, I have not blogged as often as I used to, but I still love to read the blogs of those I follow, and I do. I try to comment (when I am home and not on vacation, but since I'm retired and my hubby is retired, we spend a good deal of time at our 'home away from home' in the mountains. I don't blog while I'm gone. But, I do love to know that when I return home, that my blogging friends are still there and are doing well. I would miss you if you left blogging completely. I'm so glad that you will still be here. Know that however frequently or infrequently you blog, I will still always be so glad to see you.I send you hugs and more hugs, my friend.Love,Jackie

I'm glad to hear that you will still be blogging. I thought you were deserting us! Sporadic is better than not at all.

I get to my blog when I can but I really prefer to be doing things. I mean to blog about my projects but I tend space out! LOL! It is what it is. Plus, I'm really kind of boring so I'd much rather read other blogs.

well, I for one hope you don't hang it up for good. I don't work full time but still seem to have a hard time fitting in a weekly post. I think I've said it all, or talked about most everything I needed to, I don't do much crafting, painting, gardening anymore so it's hard to come up with something 'interesting.' And the longer I'm away the less and less that I get comments and that is something that has really helped me through some difficult times. I don't have any answers for you Lori but I always enjoy your posts, lots of them or occasionally. take care.

The Blogging world is a special place, isn't it?? I started the same year and only until recently do people understand what a blog even is. :)It's sad when you can do what you really enjoyed anymore...I don't have a paying job but what I'm working on now takes up ALL of my time. It's sad, in a way. I miss you all!Macey

Lori, I enjoyed reading this post. And I understood completely because I work full time and fine it hard to stay up with my blog and visit everyone. My hubby feels left sometimes. I do think blogging friends will always be there for you, even if you only post once in a while. Have a great day and week ahead.

OK, now I don't feel so inadequate...you created and maintained an AWESOME and technologically advanced Blog for years because you didn't have a "go away to work" gig? Now, the truth is out why you always responded immediately with a reply every time I posted a comment. I always felt guilty that I didn't do the same. Well, you're doing just fine (and, no, we can't have it all despite what Helen Reddy may have led us to believe.) Not spending every waking minute on a Blog is O.K.

Your post reads like a very familiar friend to me, especially as you were my first blog to start following and commenting on! I too am struggling to post recently, as I have returned to full time working rather than part time working. I too am also feel guilty for not posting or reading all of my favourite blogs and commenting. That said, it does not mean you are forgotten in the bloggersphere, you are just collecting data for the next amazing post :-) Take care, and we look forward to the posts when they can be fitted in. Jo x x